Uprooted
by emikaa
Summary: After a horrible family incident, Alfred is left to spend his senior year abroad under the care of his older brother. What will he make of all the sudden changes- a new school, a new culture, a new life? (Human AU featuring U.K. brothers)
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hetalia or any of its characters. See end for Author's notes.**

Their family dynamic was a confusing one. In total Alfred had five brothers- more accurately one brother, and four half-brothers. Their mom was English, as was the father of the eldest, four boys. They got married young and divorced after their fourth child. She then met a young American man, stationed at the U.S. Embassy in London, and remarried within three years. After having two sons of their own, the couple moved back to the States, and the rest was history. Or at least it should've been.

Alfred had pretty much disassociated himself completely with anything relating to his family in England. When history teachers fawned over how he was 'technically' an immigrant, he claimed that his dad was American, therefore he was American, when peers ogled at how cool it was that he had British brothers he rolled his eyes, when kids in the hall greeted him with " _ello govna_ " in an accent that would probably get them beat up anywhere in England, he coldly ignored them. He wasn't a Kirkland, he wasn't British, he was Alfred Jones, an American.

Alfred had spent approximately one year in London before his family (or at least his _actual_ family) moved to Massachusetts. Matthew was three at the time and had already succeeded in enchanting his older brothers, while Alfred, to them, was merely the one who took their mother away. On top of that, he rarely saw them. After his departure from England, Arthur and Dylan he saw about twice a year, while Allister and Seamus (having been practically adults while he was a kid) he had met only about five or six times, until present. Thus, his less than brotherly relationship with them- when he did see them, he was antagonized at worst, ignored at best. This made his current situation suck even more than it already did.

He was itching to get out of the uncomfortable seat of the plane, where was he currently seated next to Seamus. The aircraft had landed, so he didn't understand why he had to wait in this limbo while they did whatever it was they were doing. At this exact moment, though, he was pretending to be asleep with headphones on, while listening in on his 30-year-old brother's phone call.

"We should be there within the hour, the plane just landed." He could he slight mumbling from the other end, but couldn't make out what the person was saying.

"Not well, the boy has still barely said a word and it's been nearly a month." From the one end he could hear, though, he had pretty much grasped who and what the conversation was about.

"Yeah… we can discuss it later, though. I think they're finally letting us off."

The red-headed brother nudged Alfred's shoulder, as the announcement was made that 'economy class could now exit the cabin'. The pair made their way through the various obstructions of the airport, before finally grabbing their luggage, and heading outside. They hailed a taxi (cab… this was London), loaded their items, and settled in, while Seamus gave the driver the desired address.

"Long day, aye?" Seamus asked. Alfred said nothing.

"Must be strange for ya, bein' back in London after all these years." The one thing pulling Alfred through was that he would get to see Matthew. They finally arrived at their destination, approximately forty minutes later. Alfred approached the house both hesitant and excited to see the people inside. Seamus, not far behind him, was the one who took the actual initiative to knock. Arthur answered, and Seamus into a hug, but Alfred pushed past before the greeting could be extended to him. He glanced around the tidy welcome area, semi-frantically, until he spotted a blonde head sitting in a chair in the next room. He made his way over as quick as he could, pulling Matthew into a hug before he could fully rise up to meet him.

"Alfred! How are you." Matthew said, pushing his brother out of their hug to look him over. He had dark circles under his duller-than-normal, blue eyes. His skin was paler, and his frame was thinner. Overall, though, Alfred was seemingly intact, which was all Matthew could really hope for.

The youngest brother just shrugged, with a solemn smile. Arthur and Seamus stood back, Arthur clearing his throat, to draw attention.

"Sorry to interrupt lads. Alfred, your room will be upstairs, second door on the left, if you'd like to get situated. I'll make some tea, and the four of us can catch up whenever you're ready." Alfred looked longingly at Matthew, a silent request for him to follow him upstairs. Matthew nodded politely at Arthur and obliged. The Alfred in front of him was not the Alfred he knew and loved, and that fact saddened him. It also made him determined to get the old Alfred back.

 **Hello guys! So as far as this story goes, the main characters will be Arthur and Alfred. The U.K. brothers (Wales, Scotland, and N. Ireland) along with Canada, will make frequent appearances. Other characters will pop in and out as well. As for the characters mentioned in this, aside from the obvious ones. None of the parents are based on any pre-existing Hetalia characters. Keep an eye out** **for the author's notes, though. I'll try to mention whenever I do base a character in the story off of a Nation. I'm also not planning on having any major pairings in this story. There will be a couple mentioned (pun unintended), but they're not significant. Sorry for anyone who likes romance.**

 **It's been a while since I've written, but I've gotten back into lately, and I have a million-and-one idea. Along with this story (as far as Hetalia at least), I have an Amelia Jones Human AU in the works, along with a Cold War fic, and another historical fic as well. I also have a Sherlock story in the works and a Marvel-based plot that I'm currently developing. (I'll probably get even more Marvel ideas after Infinity War). Also, do not worry, I have not abandoned As One, I am currently rewriting it though. I probably won't be super active for next few weeks due to finals, but once summer comes around, expect a dumping.**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hetalia or any of its characters. See end for Author's notes.**

When they reached the designated bedroom Matthew sat down on the bed, gesturing for his younger brother to join him. Alfred obliged, though he refused to look Matthew in the eyes.

"I'm serious, Alfred. How have you been."

"I'm managing," he claimed, with his strained, unused voice.

"I get that this is hard. It's been hard on all of us."

"I know."

"We're trying our best, we'll get through this," He seemed to be reassuring himself as much as he was his brother. "We still have family, and that's something to be thankful for, at least."

"You do, maybe," Alfred muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, appalled. Alfred merely shrugged.

"I know you never had the best relationship with them, but they're trying their best to reach out, and they're going through all this too. At the end of the day, they are still your brothers- our brothers."

"Okay." Was all he got out of him. Matthew sighed.

"You know, I really thought you might _at least_ talk to me."

"I am."

"No… I'm talking. You haven't said more than three words at a time." He pointed out holding back obvious anger- no, frustration. He took a breath and gave his brother a final concerned look. "I'm going to head back downstairs to touch base with Seamus and Arthur." All he got from Alfred was a nod.

He descended the stairs, earning worried glances from the two Brits.

"How is he?" Asked Arthur, when he reached the landing of the steps.

"Did he talk?" Chimed in Seamus.

"Barely," Matthew stated.

"This whole silence thing is worrying me. It's been nearly a month." Arthur interjected. "Maybe we should consider therapy." Matthew glanced up the steps, towards the room containing his younger brother.

"Alfred's a stubborn kid. I say we give it a few weeks, let him get settled into this new life before we put him in any kind of counselling. Maybe he just needs some consistency back." He reasoned, knowing Alfred would not react well to what was being discussed.

"I'll give him a few weeks to adjust, but especially if he keeps up the whole not-talking bit, I'm scheduling something. I have my Psychology Degree, mind you. I'm not clueless when it comes to these situations." If Seamus's lack of a jab at Arthur's mention of his degree wasn't an indicator of the current mood, Matthew didn't know what was. "Speaking of, how have you been, Matthew? This must be quite rough on you too." Matthew knew this was coming eventually. He was surprised it wasn't the first thing his older brother asked, although they hadn't had that long to talk, as he arrived only about an hour earlier than the other two.

"I won't lie to you, it's been hard. I haven't had too bad of a mental breakdown, so far, although I credit that partly to being so busy with my internship. I've also had Samantha, who's stuck with me through all of it." He let out a humourless laugh. "What about you two?" Seamus smiled lightly and placed a hand on Matthew's shoulder.

"We've been autonomous for a long while, Lad. We should be the least of your concerns."

"Yeah, but she was still your mom!" Matthew countered. Arthur offered him a sad smile.

"Not as much as she was yours and Al's."

 **Samantha is a name I came up with for a female Cuba. It's not really my biggest Canada ship, I'm more of a Prussia/Canada gal, but I already have plans for Gilbert later on in this story. I couldn't find an official name, so I looked up "most popular girl names in Cuba" and went with that… Creative I know. She won't really have a role in this story at all, I just liked the idea of Matthew having someone as a support system, since he won't be getting the same 'Big Brother treatment' that Alfred is.**

 **Also, if anyone is willing to Beta this story, I would appreciate it a ton! Just DM/PM (?) me. Anyone with knowledge- first hand or otherwise- of British schooling would be great. That's going to be a pretty significant setting for this story, though, and even with research, I'm worried that I'll over- Americanize it. Thank you so much!**

 **Finally, thank you to my first reviewer! It really means a lot. You had some interesting predictions, although you'll have to keep reading ;) As for what you brought up with how I portrayed Alfred's experiences in school, I lived in an extremely small town where that was not common at all, thus a big deal, I totally agree that I exaggerated a bit, though. But I t was primarily, exactly like you said, a way to show Alfred's rejection of his background. Thank you again for your review, I hope you enjoy what this story has in-store!**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hetalia or any of its characters. See end for author's notes.**

 _The funeral was the first time in years the Kirkland-Jones family had been all in one place at the same time. In a pew, in the front of the Church sat Major Jonathan Jones and his two sons, Alfred and Matthew. Next to the later was Arthur Kirkland, then Dylan, Seamus, and Allister Kirkland, along with their father. It would have been a beautiful picture- two sides of a family reunified, had a vital member not been missing. Katherine M. Jones. Wife of Jonathan Jones, formerly William Kirkland. Daughter of Margaret Hester._

 _In the row across sat her mother, now in her late 80s, along with her two sisters, and next to them Allister's wife, Dorothy, and their two children (he had opted to sit with his brothers and father). Rows behind were filled with some more extended family and close friends._

 _The preacher did his whole spiel about 'God's plan' and what-not, that some may have found comforting. A few of the aforementioned guests gave eulogies that Alfred assumed were probably extremely touching, though he couldn't tell you a single detail about any of them. He spent the entire funeral in a daze. As far as the actual service, all he could recall was being approached by some of his friends from school, all offering hugs and well wishes, and being damn thankful that his father had opted for a closed-casket. He stood by Matthew, as he thanked guests, doing his best to go through the proper actions._

 _The burial was the worst part, it made the whole thing feel so final. Watching his mother being placed 6 feet under, to never see the light of day again. If burials are supposed to be for closure, why did it feel like getting salt rubbed on an open wound? He probably would have had a complete breakdown, had it not been for his father's steady hand on his shoulder. He was not an overly affectionate man, years in the military had hardened him, but the strong grip grounded the teen, providing the comfort he needed to be able to keep it together for the time being. He felt more hands periodically place themselves on, and remove themselves from his back, arm, and other shoulder periodically throughout the ceremony, an occasional pat, rub, or squeeze accompanying the feeling, but his dad's was the only one of importance at the moment._

 **Sorry for two short chapters in a row. This was originally combined with another, but it got too long, so I broke them up. The next chapter will hopefully be up tonight!**

 **Also, in case there's any confusion about age (and to help avoid future exposition) here's a rundown. Allister is 33 and Seamus is 30- both are done with school, and starting families (more on that in the next chapter). Dylan is 26, and in Graduate School, and Arthur is 23, taking a gap year between his Bachelor's degree, and his Masters. Matthew is 19, going into his second year of college, and Alfred is 17, and finishing up high school. This is a part of reason why he's so affected by his mother's death, as he's not on his own yet, there's a larger reason too, though, so you'll have to stay tuned. Anyway, this would put their mom at around 53, while Alfred and Matthew's dad, who was younger than her, is 49, and Allister, Seamus, Dylan, and Arthur's dad is 58.**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hetalia or any of its characters. See end for author's notes.**

By the time Alfred joined the other three, the tea Arthur made had gone cold, and lunch was being placed on the table. He sat himself across from Arthur and Matthew and picked at the sandwich in front of him.

"Are ya' going to eat that, or just demolish it?" Seamus asked, plopping down in the chair next to him. Prompting the boy to scoot his chair farther away. Arthur had to give Seamus some credit for trying. He knew he should be putting in more of an effort himself, as he was the one who Alfred would be living with, but he honestly didn't even know where to start. The two of them aren't even close to begin with, and now with Alfred closing himself off, his job would be even harder.

It wasn't that Alfred and Arthur hated each other. Well, maybe Arthur used to hate him- a misplaced hate- but he had been a child at the time. In fact, it wasn't so much hate as it was jealousy, but as an 8-year-old Arthur could hardly differentiate between the two. In his mind, Alfred took his mom away. Matthew was born and his mom had a new family, but she was still around. Alfred was born, and his mom left, abandoned him, fled to an entirely different continent. And all of it was Alfred's fault.

Of course, that was the logic of a child, which he was at the time, and Alfred as a 2-year-old, really wasn't picking up on the hatred Arthur harbored. When they were a bit older, Alfred about five, and Arthur about eleven, the hatred shifted to neglect. Alfred would want to play, Arthur wouldn't exactly act hostile towards him, but he wasn't brotherly either. This was kind of a mix of Arthur feeling 'too cool' to be bothered with a child, and a certain amount of denial that he and Alfred were truly brothers. This, admittedly, may have rubbed off on the younger a bit.

As a teenager Arthur's "brother-issues" were redirected (more accurately) into "mommy-issues." At this point he had a bit of a change of heart towards Alfred, who would have been about ten at the time. He started putting forth an honest effort at a relationship with him, but by then it was Alfred who was resisting. Besides, he had Matthew, and that was good enough for him as far as brothers go.

It's only been in recent years that Arthur has been able to see the situation for what it truly was. Did he still hate his mother's decision to ditch her family and move to the States- admittedly, yes. Though, he did have to acknowledge that- on top of their biannual 'family reunions' on major holidays- she would come and visit as often as she reasonably could. She made it back for most of their birthdays, he supposed. The fact of the matter was, she fell in love with someone new, and when he had to return home she chose to go with him. Had she not abandoned her four eldest children in the process, it would have been a sweet story. All this being said, Arthur was certainly not ready- nor, he supposed, he would ever be- to let bygones be bygones. He had, though, apparently forgiven her enough to mourn her death, attend her funeral, and complete the task of raising her son.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Matthew who, practical as always, wouldn't allow a mere five minutes of peace without discussing the complexities of their situation.

"So, I guess, this is as good a time as any to kind of talk about the plan… You know school, and what-not."

"I suppose. Your father, Alfred," Arthur turned towards him in an attempt to actually involve him in the discussion, "suggested that we send you to an international school. That way you won't stick out as much." All that earned from Alfred was a scoff, and Arthur had to hold himself back from commenting on the attitude. They'd get there eventually, but he knew, for the time being, it was best to pick his battles.

"If don't like that suggestion it's fine, though if you could tell us why it would helpful in finding a fitting alternative." He just shrugged in response. Arthur wasn't playing this game. He refused to dance around the topic.

"If you don't feel like opening up quite yet, Alfred, that's fine. However, this act is getting old. If you have an opinion on something, you need to share it, or you're just going to make yourself more miserable." Arthur hid his satisfaction at the look of shock that flashed across Alfred's face. Just as he suspected, Seamus wasn't bold enough actually to call him out. Despite Alfred immediately diverting back to whatever façade he was attempting to keep up, Arthur did manage to get a legitimate answer out of him.

"I don't wanna go to some peppy- rich kid school."

"Okay," Arthur reasoned, "that's something we can work with."

"Hey Artie!" Arthur caught a smirk on Alfred's face in response to Seamus's obnoxious nickname for him. He was going to kill his older brother. "Maybe we should send him to our old high school. We had a few international students, he wouldn't stick out too much. Besides, it's not like England and America are that drastically different. The only dead give-away is the accent, and he's not talking anyway!" Seamus seriously had a knack for poorly time jokes.

"How does it sound, Alfred?" Matthew asked. "We can take you to visit before schools, maybe Arthur can show you around." He offered whilst nudging Arthur with his elbow. Oh, how he loved being volunteered against his will.

"Fine, I guess." Alfred mumbled. Back to the three words, but at least it was something.

 **Hello! I am not dead, I swear. I am so sorry for the lack of an update this week. I had a history essay to write, a final project I had to work on for Drawing, and an exam (all today of course) but now I'm done! And I only have two more exams, so I'm back! Sorry again for the brief hiatus. I tried to make this chapter long to make up for it, though. I had a bit of writings block (my brain is honestly fried right now) so there's some rough spots, and I don't love how I ended it, but I think there were some really good spots too, so I hope you all agree.**

 **Thank you all for your comments, by the way! I'll be sure to respond to them all in the author's notes of my next chapter.**


End file.
